This invention relates to an apparatus and method for preparing and dispensing icing for cakes wherein one or more of a plurality of colorants and a base icing are brought together in a mixing wand for preparing plain or colored icing. Methods and apparatus for dispensing cake icing are well known in the art, ranging from simple collapsible cones that are squeezed by the cake artisan to computerized automatic icing dispensers. The following U.S. patents are representative:
The Bowles et al, Ginther et al, Weyh et al and Alexander et al patents relate to various forms of hand-held dispensing apparatuses for dispensing icing on cakes and the like. Alexander et al relates to a pneumatic frosting applicator and Ginther et al relates to an icing dispenser of a caulking gun variety.
Barth et al discloses a computerized method and apparatus for decorating cakes and other foods and discloses a cake decorator having an X, Y table and liquid spray applicators and icing or gel dispensers which are moved over the cake and controls the application of food coloring and icing or a gel in computer selected patterns on the cake.
Kitos U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,775 relates to a cake decorating system in which a computer controls the dispensing of a multiple orifice drop on demand colorant expulsion system to provide three-color printing on the article being decorated.
In contrast, the present invention is predicated on the principles of hand cake-decorating, an art of great lineage, which allows the art to continue and speeds up cake decorating while removing the adverse ergonomical conditions associated with cake decorating.
The experience of many years of professional cake decorating can lead to carpel tunnel syndrome, sleepless nights with wrist aches and working with the pain. The repetitive movements of cake decorating, plus the pressure put on the hands and wrists, as well as the twisting of the elbows, has undoubtedly caused many people to forgo this endeavor, or to opt for carpel tunnel surgery, to be able to continue their profession.
The invention should eliminate this problem, and enhance the cake and pastry decorating industry. There are other positive factors of the invention, such as enhanced sanitation and less time and product waste, which would improve the cake decorating efficiency. The invention is not meant to replace people but to make their life easier and more profitable. There are other benefits not the least of which is labor costs where quantity and speed are of the essence.
Thus, a major objective of the invention is to provide an improvement in methods and apparatus for preparing and dispensing cake icing and cake and pastry decorating in general.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cake and pastry icing or decorating system and method in which the icing is dispensed from a hand-held dispensing wand by a cake and pastry decorating artisan and a base icing, typically neutral or white, is stored in a remote container under pressure and delivered to the hand-held wand under control of the artisan along with selected fluent colorants (food coloring) to a mixing chamber in the wand for dispensing various selected colors of icing by the cake artisan.
The invention also features the following:
A cake and pastry icing system for preparing and dispensing cake icing which includes a main icing storage chamber for containing a base icing under pressure and a plurality of colorant storage chambers for containing a corresponding plurality of colorants under pressure. A cake icing wand having a handle and an icing dispensing head with the icing dispensing head having a mixing chamber and an icing dispensing nozzle. A plurality of flexible tubings or passages couple the mixing chamber to the storage chambers with there being at least one passage for each of the base icing and each color valving systems are provided for controlling the flow of each of the plurality of colorants and the base icing to the passages, respectively, and a plurality of pushbutton control members in the handle selectively control the flow of base icing and one or more colorants under pressure to the mixing chamber and the icing dispensing nozzle. The wand may have one or more interchangeable cake icing nozzles, narrow, thick, wide, star-shaped icing patterns, rosettes and rose-shaping nozzles, for example.
Since the base icing may be highly viscous, in a preferred embodiment, the valving element for the base icing may include a positive displacement pump.
Further, the invention relates to a cake icing dispensing system in which a base icing container having a pneumatic piston head for pressurizing base icing in the base icing container and a plurality of colorant containers, each colorant container having a pneumatic piston head for pressurizing colorant therein. The common source of pneumatic pressure (air or CO2 for example) is coupled to each of the piston heads, and a mixing and dispensing wand is connected to each container by flexible tubing for receiving base icing and selected colorant from the containers. A system of valves controls application connection of the colorants under pressure from the common source to mixing head and cause delivery of the base icing to the mixing head in the dispensing wand.
Further, the invention comprises a decorating method in which a hand-held icing wand having a mixing chamber and a dispensing nozzle and a remote supply of base icing is provided to the mixing chamber. One or more colorants is selectively supplied to the mixing chamber. The icing is dispensed from the mixing chamber through a dispensing nozzle directly onto the cake in patterns determined by the position of the hand-held mixing wand and the shape of the dispensing nozzle.
According to a further feature of the invention, a programmable microprocessor system controller can be used to provide color control signals to the colorant and base white icing valves to produce different colors at the selective option of the artisan cake decorator. For example, in one embodiment, the wand is provided with a pushbutton or touch panel which has buttons labeled with the primary colors, red, blue, yellow; and the secondary colors made from the primary colors, such as purple, made from red and blue; orange made from red and yellow; green made from blue and yellow, etc. The processor is programmed so that the control signal sent to the colorant valves are pulsed to cause the valves to issue colorant at a predetermined rate determined by the color desired. For example, by varying the number or rate of pulses sent to the blue and yellow valves, respectively, any desirable shade of green may be issued. Moreover, the white or neutral base icing can be issued without any colorant admixed therein. For the colors black and brown, the separate reservoir of black colorant and brown colorant may be incorporated in the invention. Thus, it will be appreciated that great color capability and versatility is provided as selectively desired by individual customer needs.
In another embodiment, a flow valve is provided for the white or neutral to base icing and it begins to flow only when the selected colorants have been admitted to the mixing wand.
In another aspect of the invention, the mixing wand is provided with a water cleaning line. In this embodiment, a freshwater line is provided with a valve controlled, preferably remote from the wand, to cause water to flow through the mixing chamber of the wand and thereby cleaning out the small amount of icing and any colorant that may be there. In this embodiment, the water drains out by way of gravity, and if desired, as a further clean-out feature, a blast of air or carbon dioxide from a storage source may be used to dry the wand prior to using the wand again to apply icing to a cake or other product as desired.